Fortinet FortiGate SWG vs Infoblox BloxOne Threat Defense comparison

The compared Fortinet and Infoblox solutions aren't in the same category. Fortinet is ranked #2 in WSG , with an average rating of 8.7, and holds a 5.9% mindshare in the category. Infoblox is ranked #6 in DS , with an average rating of 8.3, and holds a 6.2% mindshare. Additionally, 100% of Fortinet users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 94% of Infoblox users who would recommend it.

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Executive Summary

We performed a comparison between Fortinet FortiGate SWG and Infoblox BloxOne Threat Defense based on real PeerSpot user reviews.

Find out what your peers are saying about Cisco, Fortinet, Palo Alto Networks and others in Secure Web Gateways (SWG).

To learn more, read our detailed Secure Web Gateways (SWG) Report (Updated: July 2025).

Buyer's Guide

Secure Web Gateways (SWG)

July 2025

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Review summaries and opinions

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:

Categories and Ranking

iboss

Mindshare comparison

Secure Web Gateways (SWG) Market Share Distribution
Product	Market Share (%)
Fortinet FortiGate SWG	5.9%
Cisco Umbrella	16.7%
Zscaler Internet Access	14.5%
Other	62.9%

Secure Web Gateways (SWG)

Domain Name System (DNS) Security Market Share Distribution
Product	Market Share (%)
Infoblox BloxOne Threat Defense	6.2%
Cisco Umbrella	21.2%
Infoblox Advanced DNS Protection	20.6%
Other	52.0%

Domain Name System (DNS) Security

Featured Reviews

Matt Crockford

Head of Cybersecurity at SES Water

It's easy to roll out, and their understanding of our business made it seamless

One aspect we value about iboss is its simplicity. Their customer service is brilliant, and they are super responsive and knowledgeable. It's easy to roll out, and their understanding of our business made it seamless. We were impressed by the solution's mental health function, which can detect if someone needs help. It scans what users are browsing and flags warning signs so we can check to see if they are okay. We've had to use it a couple of times. The user interface is highly intuitive. Our IT team picked it up with minimal training. It's arranged so that it's easy to find where things are. Another advantage is the single pane of glass console, which gives you visibility into what's happening. We're not fully there yet because we haven't implemented zero trust, but we're excited about the possibilities from the demos we've seen. We launched a POC of iboss' ChatGPT Risk Protection feature two weeks ago. AI is a great tool, but you need to be careful what you put into it. My biggest fear is employees inputting sensitive corporate information or customer PII data into one of these chatbots. I was impressed by our trial of the feature. It's exactly what we wanted. Now, when a user goes to ChatGPT, there's a banner warning them not to share information, and we can block conversations containing customer data like bank details and email addresses. I don't want to stop people from using it, but we need visibility. We've only tried it on a test group of 15 people. You can configure it to look for specific keywords or integrate it with your DLP policy if you have that configured

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Ayman Said

Infrastructure System's Manager at ICAPP (Americana Group)

Enables seamless traffic handling and effective network protection

We are using Fortinet FortiGate SWG for web filtering, application control, and IDPS. Additionally, we utilize it for VPN and the main features of a firewall Web filtering is very good, as well as IDPS. SD-WAN is a perfect feature. Additionally, the VPN is stable and very good. These features…

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Igor Van Den Ouden

Engineer at Routz

A hybrid solution for DNS security with insights and security reports

The most valuable feature is policy redirecting and security reports. It detects threats and blocks them. Also, it offers DNS handling and data extraction. It provides a centralized view of connected users and incoming data sources. It is integrated via the API to different monitoring systems that send out alerts. We haven't had any false positives due to this solution.

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Quotes from Members

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:

Pros

"The solution has massively improved our security posture, giving us full visibility into what our staff does online."

"iboss is among the few products providing inline filtering where no application is needed on the device. It operates on the network side and is not device-based. This feature was one of the main reasons why we stayed with them for so long."

"The console is cloud-based, which is something I really appreciate."

"iboss is easy to use despite its complexity. Multiple engineers manage it, but it's significantly more straightforward to administer than traditional VPNs and web proxies."

"It was a very easy product to install. It can be deployed very fast."

"Technical support is pretty sharp and very responsive."

"I would rate the technical support of iboss a solid 10 without a shadow of a doubt."

"Because of iboss, I did not have to assign web filtering tasks to my techs on a daily basis."

More iboss pros

"FortiGate is a great solution, although initially, it faced challenges in the Brazilian market due to lower brand recognition than Cisco. However, explaining and demonstrating its product format and offerings has proven easy. The cost-effectiveness and better features of FortiGate have made some clients skeptical. We set up a trial period, and they eventually opted for it. Many clients were convinced it was great after experiencing the solution's capabilities firsthand."

"One of the features I appreciate the most is application control which offers great flexibility."

"The product is highly stable."

"The solution is easy to implement and easy to configure. The most valuable feature is FortiGate’s content filtering."

"Customers keep on improving their licenses. The solution remains scalable and flexible. On-premises deployments may have some limitations. However, cloud deployments offer a high degree of flexibility."

"FortiGate is easy to configure. We configured one of the units and sent it to Indiana to be installed. We asked them to give us a call when they got it, so we could help them through the process, but they called us back to tell us it works great."

"I rate this solution a nine out of ten."

"The most valuable feature of Fortinet FortiGate SWG is its stability."

More Fortinet FortiGate SWG pros

"The most valuable feature of this solution is the granularity for which you can categorize what you want to block versus what you don't want to block."

"The most important features for us are preventing DDOS DNS attacks."

"With the model we have, we are able to scale very easily if we need to."

"The reporting ability is helpful. It allows us to control what our users are able to resolve, and then be able to see reports on that."

"When it comes to helping to detect DNS threats, BloxOne is good on all fronts. The number of false positives is very low, close to none. More than once it has detected new names or lookalike names and protected us and saved us from bad characters."

"Overall, I would rate the Infoblox BloxOne Threat Defense as 8.5 out of 10."

"BloxOne provides automatic sharing of network context data, which affects our speed of threat response and provide real-time threat intelligence. Our security operations needs this to do their work. It makes us feel safer."

"The stability of Infoblox BloxOne Threat Defense is near perfect at a rating of ten."

More Infoblox BloxOne Threat Defense pros

Cons

"If they could implement an extra security layer preventing access to iboss from the open internet, it would be great."

"SSL decryption: We had issues with learners using apps instead of using web browsers. This type of encryption is tough for any appliance in a BYOD environment."

"Its pricing could be better."

"The solution could be stronger on the integration side and offer more cloud applications like G Suite or Oracle."

"The dashboards for local use could be better."

"The reporting feature needs improvement. It doesn't give you the expected results. It is quite difficult to get the specific reports needed, and it is not as intuitive as the rest of the platform."

"I'd like to see them accelerate development on the security side, particularly around data loss prevention."

"Iboss is growing so fast that it is often hard for them to keep up with the challenges."

More iboss cons

"FortiGate needs to be elastic to the market's trends. It should be easy for SMBs to get the solution."

"The product needs to drastically improve its reporting capability."

"The software is a bit expensive to renew."

"There's room for improvement in the interface, especially following their upgrade to version nineteen."

"Zero trust could be added. Nowadays, solutions like Zscaler, Netskope, and even SecureWorks combine multiple features into a single product."

"Fortinet's support team consists of a huge networking team, because of which there is a delay in response at times."

"Integrating OpenVPN with FortiGate would provide a powerful combination of secure remote access and comprehensive network security."

"Fortinet needs to continue to improve network traceability. Other than that, we haven't run into anything that would give me any concern."

More Fortinet FortiGate SWG cons

"The product could be cheaper."

"I would rate their customer service or technical support as not always good. You can be fortunate if you meet someone knowledgeable because most people try and get you to a certain point."

"The documentation needs to be improved because there are a lot of different models that it can be deployed in, and it's somewhat confusing determining what you need and how to set it up to best cover your use cases."

"The dashboard and reporting features need improvement. The user needs more informative dashboards so they can get to the results directly without getting deep in the report to get to the information."

"The onboarding is a little rough at times, and you need to have some information at hand. It is pretty good, but it would be useful to have a few good examples to set up things like data exfiltration."

"The setup was horrible. About a year ago, Infoblox made us re-enroll all our on-prem DNS servers by a set date to a specific version, or it would stop working. I told my colleague, "Oh, here, we have to upgrade the servers and reconnect them to the CSP." That did not go well at all."

"I have faced quite a few problems in my eight months of experience with the product in GTS, despite it being a relatively short period."

"Infoblox BloxOne Threat Defense is quite expensive, especially due to the significant increase in the subscription fee after the first year. This unexpected increase was a problem for us."

More Infoblox BloxOne Threat Defense cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"We have not priced the solution recently, but they were competitive with other vendors in the past."

"The overall pricing for iboss is very competitive and transparent."

"It is probably in line with other solutions, but I do not deal with the financial side."

"It is expensive compared to one of its competitors."

"It is not expensive, and it is also not cheap. iboss is priced right in the sweet spot for the number of features it offers."

"We had the cost of purchasing a new appliance along with the implementation and licensing costs. However, the following year, the cost of just licensing was similar to what was paid the previous year for a new appliance along with the implementation and licensing costs."

"The cost has increased since the update so I would rate it eight out of ten."

"We pay about $4,000 for a yearly license, and there aren't any additional fees."

"The price is relatively expensive compared to other solutions which are providing similar features."

"I would rate the pricing a six out of ten, where one is cheap and ten is expensive."

"The product is expensive compared to one of its competitors."

"It is a cost-effective solution that meets the user's needs."

"It could be more competitive and cost-effective."

"I rate FortiGate's pricing a five out of ten."

More Fortinet FortiGate SWG pricing and cost advice

"The licensing is set up such that you pay for the number of active users that you're defending at the moment."

"There is a significant charge for this product but I think that it's worth it when we look at what it's able to prevent."

"When you buy the subscription, there are no additional costs to add any additional buttons."

"It's a pricey solution because it's for the advanced kind of customer."

"Infoblox BloxOne offers pretty good documentation. Check its documentation, then do a PoC. Infoblox is very good at providing PoCs."

"If you only wanted the DNS filtering and none of the other products built into Threat Defense, it would be nicer if they could do that a la carte since we are not really using a lot of the solution."

"It is a very expensive system. You need to go over the licensing before purchase to make sure you're getting what is needed, not anything extra."

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Computer Software Company

12%

Financial Services Firm

11%

Manufacturing Company

Government

Computer Software Company

14%

Financial Services Firm

Comms Service Provider

Government

Financial Services Firm

16%

Computer Software Company

11%

Manufacturing Company

Educational Organization

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	6
Midsize Enterprise	6
Large Enterprise	5

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	19
Midsize Enterprise	9
Large Enterprise	14

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	3
Midsize Enterprise	3
Large Enterprise	12

Questions from the Community

What needs improvement with iboss?

For zero trust implementation, we encountered complexity issues, especially with a large infrastructure company Exxon...

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What is your primary use case for iboss?

Previously when I used iboss, we did the POC for iboss for ExxonMobil. Four or five people wanted to move from our ol...

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What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for iboss?

Regarding pricing, setup costs, and licensing, iboss is not cheap, and that's my only concern. There are cheaper alte...

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What do you like most about Fortinet FortiGate SWG?

The interface and other reports are all user-friendly.

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What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Fortinet FortiGate SWG?

Fortinet products are very expensive compared to competitors like Sophos and SonicWall. From a pricing perspective, I...

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What needs improvement with Fortinet FortiGate SWG?

More improvement in AI would be a good edge. We would like the VPN to act as a web filtering solution because users o...

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What do you like most about Infoblox BloxOne Threat Defense?

The most valuable feature is policy redirecting and security reports.

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Infoblox BloxOne Threat Defense?

Infoblox BloxOne Threat Defense can be expensive for the commercial sector, particularly in Egypt, as this sector doe...

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What needs improvement with Infoblox BloxOne Threat Defense?

If Infoblox invests in network observability, especially from the perspective of DNS and IP address observability, it...

See all answers

Comparisons

Zscaler Internet Access vs iboss

Compared 15% of the time

Cisco Umbrella vs iboss

Compared 14% of the time

Netskope vs iboss

Compared 13% of the time

Prisma Access by Palo Alto Networks vs iboss

Compared 12% of the time

FortiSASE vs iboss

Compared 3% of the time

More iboss Competitors

Fortinet FortiProxy vs Fortinet FortiGate SWG

Compared 43% of the time

Cisco Umbrella vs Fortinet FortiGate SWG

Compared 19% of the time

Prisma Access by Palo Alto Networks vs Fortinet FortiGate SWG

Compared 7% of the time

Sangfor Internet Access Gateway (IAG) vs Fortinet FortiGate SWG

Compared 6% of the time

TitanHQ WebTitan vs Fortinet FortiGate SWG

Compared 1% of the time

More Fortinet FortiGate SWG Competitors

Cisco Umbrella vs Infoblox BloxOne Threat Defense

Compared 36% of the time

Palo Alto Networks DNS Security vs Infoblox BloxOne Threat Defense

Compared 20% of the time

Zscaler Internet Access vs Infoblox BloxOne Threat Defense

Compared 14% of the time

Infoblox Advanced DNS Protection vs Infoblox BloxOne Threat Defense

Compared 7% of the time

BlueCat Edge vs Infoblox BloxOne Threat Defense

Compared 3% of the time

More Infoblox BloxOne Threat Defense Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

iboss

August 2025

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Buyer's Guide

Fortinet FortiGate SWG

August 2025

Download Fortinet FortiGate SWG product report

Buyer's Guide

Infoblox BloxOne Threat Defense

August 2025

Download Infoblox BloxOne Threat Defense product report

Also Known As

iBoss Cloud Platform

FortiGate SWG, FortiGate Secure Web Gateway

BloxOne Threat Defense, Infoblox ActiveTrust, Infoblox ActiveTrust Cloud

Overview

iboss offers a comprehensive security platform designed for diverse use cases such as web filtering, data loss protection, corporate proxy services, and URL filtering.

iboss integrates advanced features to address dynamic security needs, leveraging its strength in SASE, ZTNA, AI initiatives, and cloud integration, while ensuring seamless operations for remote work. It excels in historical forensics, malware protection, and flexible cloud deployments. Users benefit from comprehensive traffic scanning, robust malware detection, and PaaS capabilities that reduce hardware management. An intuitive admin console ensures efficient management with content filtering and low false positives. SSL decryption enhances security, while DLP protects data in AI conversations. Deployment is rapid and scalable, allowing effortless integration with emerging technologies.

What features does iboss offer?

Granular Web Filtering: Provides precise control over web content access.
Traffic Scanning: Monitors data through multiple ports for security breaches.
Malware Detection: Ensures superior protection against malware threats.
PaaS Capabilities: Eliminates need for hardware management.
SSL Decryption: Enhances data protection by decrypting secure connections.
DLP Capabilities: Safeguards data during AI interactions.

What benefits and ROI should users consider?

Scalability: Adapts quickly to growing demands and emerging tech integration.
Rapid Deployment: Reduces time to implement security measures.
User-Friendly Admin Console: Facilitates efficient operations management.
Low False Positives: Increases accuracy of threat detection systems.

iboss finds significant application in sectors such as education, where web filtering for K-12 is crucial, and in corporate environments requiring robust proxy services and URL filtering for network security. Its adaptability is essential in scenarios demanding flexible, decentralized security frameworks, particularly for remote work setups.

iboss

Fortinet FortiGate SWG is a comprehensive web security solution provided by Fortinet. FortiGate SWG combines web filtering, malware protection, data loss prevention (DLP), and application control capabilities into a single integrated platform. It is designed to protect organizations from web-based threats, enforce compliance policies, and provide secure access to web resources.

FortiGate SWG Benefits:

Comprehensive web filtering and security features
Ease of use and management
Integration with other Fortinet products
Strong threat detection capabilities
Scalability and flexibility
Granular control over user access and activity

FortiGate SWG Features:

Web Filtering: FortiGate SWG employs URL filtering and content categorization to control and enforce web access policies.
Malware Protection: The solution provides real-time protection against web-borne threats, such as malware, ransomware, and phishing attacks.
Data Loss Prevention (DLP): FortiGate SWG helps prevent sensitive data from being leaked or exfiltrated through web channels.
SSL Inspection: The solution supports SSL/TLS decryption and inspection, allowing organizations to examine encrypted web traffic for threats and enforce security policies.
Application Control: FortiGate SWG enables granular control over web applications and protocols.
Advanced Threat Intelligence: FortiGate SWG leverages Fortinet's threat intelligence services to provide up-to-date information about emerging threats and zero-day vulnerabilities.
User Authentication and Access Control: The solution supports various authentication methods, including single sign-on (SSO) and integration with identity providers, to ensure secure user authentication and access control for web resources.
Reporting and Analytics: FortiGate SWG provides comprehensive reporting and analytics capabilities.

FortiGate SWG is typically deployed as a hardware appliance or as a virtual appliance in on-premises environments, but it may also be available as a cloud-based service. It is part of Fortinet's broader security fabric ecosystem, allowing integration with other Fortinet products to provide a unified and coordinated security infrastructure.

Reviews from Real Users

Below are some reviews and helpful feedback written by FortiGate SWG users.

David Carlson, CIO at Camco Mfg., says that "Non-IT people could plug it in, connect it to the fiber, and get it running without IT help".

Suresh Vijayen, Product Manager at IX Telecom, writes that FortiGate SWG "Provides helpful technical support, but its dashboard needs to be more user-friendly".

Chandan Munshi, Chief Technical Officer at Provision Technologies LLP, states that "The user interface is intuitive. Anyone can configure the firewall with little knowledge of the product. The back-end is robust with good security."

Fortinet

Infoblox BloxOne Threat Defense strengthens and optimizes your security posture from the foundation up, giving you the visibility, control and automation to secure the hybrid workplace. Operating at the DNS level, BloxOne Threat Defense uncovers threats that other solutions do not and stops attacks earlier in the threat lifecycle. Through pervasive automation and ecosystem integration, it drives efficiencies in SecOps, increases the effectiveness of the existing security stack, secures digital and work-from-anywhere efforts and lowers the total cost for cybersecurity.

Infoblox

Sample Customers

More than 4,000 global enterprises trust the iboss Cloud Platform to support their modern workforces, including a large number of Fortune 50 companies.

Salt Lake County, Catholic College Bendigo, Azienda Unita Sanitaria

Council Rock School District, EagleView, Schneider Electric, Baptist Memorial Health Care, American University

Buyer's Guide

Secure Web Gateways (SWG)

July 2025

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